Companies across the world are now taking steps to incorporate games into their platform. Duolingo is an app that’s designed to help people learn a variety of languages. The app has been around since 2013 and currently has 50 million users. It leans heavily into gamification, adopting various mechanics to try to engage users.
They’re not alone in their approach either, as even the New York Times have adopted games, and it appears to be working when you look at their increase in users. The latest company to jump onto the bandwagon would be LinkedIn. They have released three mini-games so far, including Crossclimb, Queens and Pinpoint.
Games Are Helping Companies Increase Engagement
Even though the games released on these platforms are basic when compared to what you’ll find at a Slingo casino, they’re still engaging. In fact, a lot of them are modeled after offerings found on casino game sites.
Casino sites often offer daily spins and bonuses, while games on platforms such as Duolingo also offer bonuses for signing in, as a way to increase engagement.
Mobile game developers have pointed out that shorter online games that can be played on the go are growing in popularity too. With the rise of social media, it makes sense for companies like LinkedIn to expand into mini-games, as it reflects their user base and the short windows of time they have in the day.
Word Games Are Seeing a Resurgence
Unlike a lot of online games, crosswords and similar style games usually only offer one puzzle a day. Wordle is a prime example, and most of the time, it doesn’t take more than five minutes to play.
It’s quick entertainment while you eat breakfast or while waiting for an upcoming company meeting. The Guardian also has quick crossword games that might take a bit longer to solve but don’t demand hours.
The popularity of word games is also growing. Even though the puzzles don’t take long to solve, they are still able to engage a huge fan base, with YouTube channels dedicated to solving the latest puzzles. They’re accessible, fun and quick, so it’s no surprise to see that social media platforms like LinkedIn adopt them as a way to appeal to their demographic.
LinkedIn’s Pinpoint, a word-association game where you try to guess the category based on a number of clues, is likely to appeal to the business audience that they have on the site. The game takes under five minutes to play, and it’s easy to learn the ropes.
In the past, Netflix have also released games, however, theirs are designed to be a bit more fun and take longer to play, as they are targeting a different user base. As time goes on, it wouldn’t be surprising to see other social media platforms expand into games, with each one focusing on a different genre or game type.
Facebook has already started to embrace games and has done so for quite some time, with Meta moving into VR with the MetaQuest. Overall, it’s an exciting time for the gaming market, and the partnership between social media and games really is just a natural progression.
